John Chilton BURCH

1826-1885

BURCH, John Chilton, a Representative from California; born in Boone County, Mo., February 1, 1826; attended the Bonne Femme Academy and Kemper College; studied law in Jefferson City; was admitted to the bar and practiced; deputy clerk of Cole County; assistant adjutant general of Missouri; moved to California in 1850 and worked in the mines until 1851; elected clerk of the newly organized Trinity County; appointed district attorney in 1853; member of the State assembly in 1856; served in the State senate 1857-1859; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); resumed the practice of law in San Francisco; appointed a code commissioner and served four years; declined to be a candidate for judge of the supreme court of California; died in San Francisco, Calif., August 31, 1885; interment in the City Cemetery, Sacramento, Calif.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present